I mentioned last week that Sam Worthington is rumored to be involved in the 4th Mad Max sequel. But Variety reported that the role has gone to British actor Tom Hardy, who garnered rave reviews recently for his performance and physical transformation in Bronson. He’ll be joining Charlize Theron in the sequel titled Mad Max: Fury Road, with producer-director George Miller. Filming is set to start next August in Australia. No word on whether Mel Gibson — who originated the role back in 1979 when he was merely 21 — is going to have any part in the movie.

For those of you not familiar with the franchise (me included), here’s a quick synopsis courtesy of MTV movie blog: The Mad Max franchise takes place in a post-apocalyptic Australia populated by wastelands, vicious inhabitants and general lawlessness. Following the deaths of his wife and son, police officer Max Rockatansky ventures off into the great unknown of Australia’s wastelands, with his own humanity hanging on by a very thin thread.

I think Tom Hardy is an excellent choice, having seen him in Rocknrolla (as Handsome Bob who has a crush on Gerry Butler’s character, OneTwo), as well as in the Bronson trailer. He pulled off a Christian Bale by gaining 40+ pounds and muscular physique on his usually lithe 5’9″ frame to play the role of Charles Bronson. He’s definitely in my Top Ten Foreign Newcomers to Watch list, which I’m hoping to wrap up this week.

Are you a fan of the franchise? If so, what do you think of the casting choice?